Car safety belts

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a car safety belt, constituted by a diagonal element combined with a subabdominal element by a means for selectively maintaining the orientation of the two elements of the belt and by a buckle, the means for maintaining the orientation of the two elements being constituted by a sleeve which concomitantly envelops the elements, one of the ends of which abuts on the buckle and the other end of which holds the zone of intersection of the two elements in the preferred position.

0 United States Patent in] 3,713,693 Cadiou 1 Jan. 30, 1973 54] CAR SAFETY BELTS 3,291,528 12/1966 Sencabaugh ..297/385 Inventor: J Georges Cadiou, Paris, France 3,572,833 3/1971 Pavclscak ..297/385 X [73] Assignee: Societe Anonyme Automobiles FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS C o Paris, France 239,078 7/1964 Austria ....297/389 22 F'] d: A .4,197] l l I 6 ug Primary Examiner-James T. McCall [21] App]. No.1 168,833 Attorney-Eyre, Mann & Lucas [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT 1 This invention relates to a car safety belt, constituted Sept, 2, i970 France ..7()3l952 by a d agona ele ent com ed ith a Subabdom a element by a means for selectively maintaining the ..297/3i96,22b9;/53/2(5) Orientation of the two elements of the be and y a buckle, the means for maintaining the Orientation of [58] Field of Search "297/385 384 the two elements being constituted by a sleeve which concomitantly envelops the elements, one of the ends [56] References C'ted of which abuts on the buckle and the other end of UNITED STATES PATENTS which holds the zone of intersection of the two elements in the preferred position. 3,306,662 2/1967 Finnigan ..297/389 3,244,452 4/1966 Veley et al. ..297/385 2 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure CAR SAFETY BELTS The use of safety belts, particularly in cars, is now generalized and it has been found necessary to improve the efficiency of the existing equipment, the comfort of use that they offer and their controllability.

Belts are known in particular, which are constituted of a diagonal element, or cross-belt, and a sub-abdominal element, having the disadvantage of allowing risks of serious injury in the neck region following the displacement of the diagonal element under the effect of the tension of the strap subjected to the forces of inertia developed upon sharp decelerations.

This serious disadvantage comes from the orientation of the diagonal element which is determined by the position of the buckle. Now, the position of this buckle cannot be modified without reducing the accessibility and ease of maneuver thereof.

It has already been thought to modify the orientation of the elements of the belt by connecting the diagonal and sub-abdominal elements by a rigid metallic ring, which is mounted to slide on these elements. However, it has also been ascertained that this arrangement widely lost its efficiency, as the ring at the moment of the shock risked sliding to a final position in which the diagonal element had taken the above-mentioned imperfect position again.

The Applicants intend to remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks and to this end propose a particular arrangement which consists in the use, on the belt of the three points type, of a means ensuring a permanent and foolproof local modification of the orientation of the elements without modifying the position of the buckle.

This means is constituted by a sleeve member which concomitantly envelops the two elements at least partially, one of the ends of which is in abutment on the buckle and the other end of which holds the zone of intersection of the two elements in the preferred position.

In addition, the sleeve is advantageously made of a deformable, very resilient material.

The invention will be more readily understood and secondary characteristics as well as their advantages will appear in the course of the following description of an embodiment given by way of indicative and nonlimiting example.

Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

The single FIGURE is a front view of the general arrangement of a safety belt according to the invention.

Referring to the FIGURE, a silhouette of a traveller l is shown, sitting in the interior 2 of a car comprising a structure 3.

The safety belt shown in solid lines in constituted, in known manner, by a diagonal element 4, fixed to the structure 3 by an attachment 5 and by a sub-abdominal element 6 fixed to the structure 3 by an attachment 7. The elements 4 and 6 generally form two parts of the same strap connected at the buckle 8 of the belt to a last strap element 9 fixed to the structure 3 by the attachment 10.

It is ascertained that, in view of the position of the buckle 8, imposed by the conditions of its use, the diagonal element 4 is disposed in the zone 11 at right angles to the travellers neck.

Using the belt that has just been described, the Applicants have thought to connect the elements 4 and 6 over a length L which IS common to each, starting from the buckle 8. To this end, they inserted said elements 4 and 6 in a sleeve 12 which abuts on the buckle 8. They therefore obtained a modification of the general arrangement of the elements which then take the respective conformation 4a, 6a which has been shown in dashed lines. A displacement of the zone of the diagonal element is also ascertained, which, before, was disposed at right angles to the travellers neck and is now located at 11a at right angles to the shoulder.

It will further be specified that the sleeve 12 is advantageously and preferably made of a deformable, very resilient material (rubber, plastics material, leather, fabrics or the like).

The advantages of the arrangement which has just been described and which includes the sleeve 12 are important as far as the increase in safety obtained is concerned. In fact, the move of zone 11 to zone 11a obviously removes the risks of strangulation inherent in the imperfect arrangement of the diagonal element 4 in prior known belts.

On this subject, it will be noted that the modification of the general arrangement of the elements 4 and 6, which come to 4a and 6a, is stable. In fact, at the moment when the elements are tensioned, the sleeve is in abutment on the buckle 8 and there is no risk of it sliding sharply, which would be dangerous as the diagonal element would take the imperfect position again.

Furthermore, when the elements 4a and 6a are tensioned, the stresses developed at their common point of connection are taken up by the end of the sleeve 12 opposite that which abuts on the buckle 8. The deformation of the sleeves 12 which results therefrom enables the energy developed during the stressing of the elements 4a and 6a to be dissipated and consequently deadens the effects of inertia.

I claim:

1. A car safety belt of the "three points type, comprising a diagonal element, a sub-abdominal element, means for selectively maintaining the orientation of said diagonal element and said sub-abdominal element, and a buckle, wherein said means for maintaining said orientation of said two elements comprises a sleeve which concomitantly envelops said two elements at least partially, whereby when one of the ends of said sleeve abuts said buckle, the second end of said sleeve holds the zone of intersection of said two elements in a predetermined position.

2. The car safety belt according to claim 1, wherein said sleeve is made of a deformable, resilient material. 

1. A car safety belt of the ''''three points'''' type, comprising a diagonal element, a sub-abdominal element, means for selectively maintaining the orientation of said diagonal element and said sub-abdominal element, and a buckle, wherein said means for maintaining said orientation of said two elements comprises a sleeve which concomitantly envelops said two elements at least partially, whereby when one of the ends of said sleeve abuts said buckle, the second end of said sleeve holds the zone of intersection of said two elements in a predetermined position.
 1. A car safety belt of the ''''three points'''' type, comprising a diagonal element, a sub-abdominal element, means for selectively maintaining the orientation of said diagonal element and said sub-abdominal element, and a buckle, wherein said means for maintaining said orientation of said two elements comprises a sleeve which concomitantly envelops said two elements at least partially, whereby when one of the ends of said sleeve abuts said buckle, the second end of said sleeve holds the zone of intersection of said two elements in a predetermined position. 